Great Eulogies Throughout History

Derived from the Greek for "word of praise," the eulogy is a longstanding tradition of recognition and remembrance. The speeches and essays gathered in this collection offer thought-provoking commemorations of the lives and deeds of politicians, authors, poets, and other influential individuals. Starting with Pericles' Funeral Oration, a classic example of the rite, these writings turn their focus to historical figures of the past two centuries, from America's Founding Fathers to Nelson Mandela.
Nineteenth-century selections include the stirring address read at Beethoven's funeral; a reminiscence of Charlotte Brontë by her great literary hero, William Thackeray; recollections of Henry David Thoreau by Ralph Waldo Emerson; and eulogies for Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, and Voltaire, on the one-hundredth anniversary of his death. Among the latter-day tributes are salutes to Albert Einstein, T. S. Eliot, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as President Ronald Reagan's farewell to the Challenger astronauts, Stephen Spender's paean to W. H. Auden, Bob Costas's eulogy for Mickey Mantle, and many other moving words of praise for men and women whose achievements serve as an ongoing source of inspiration.

James Daley is the editor of several Dover editions, including The World's Greatest Short Stories, Favorite Christmas Poems, Great Speeches by African Americans, Great Speeches by American Women, Great Speeches by Frederick Douglass, 100 Great Short Stories, and Great Writers on the Art of Fiction. His debut novel, Jesus Jackson, was published by The Poisoned Pencil in 2014.

Funeral Oration--PericlesGeorge Washington by Major General Henry LeeAlexander Hamilton by Harrison G. OtisJohn Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Daniel WebsterLudwig van Beethoven by Franz GrillparzerDaniel Webster by Amasa McCoyCharlotte Bronte by William Makepeace ThackerayHenry David Thoreau by Ralph Waldo EmersonAbraham Lincoln by Frederick DouglassVoltaire by Victor HugoUlysses S. Grant by Rev. Henry Ward BeecherEmily Dickinson by Susan Gilbert DickinsonWalt Whitman by Robert IngersollCharles Tiffany by Annabel GoanSusan B. Anthony by Rev. Anna Howard ShawAndrew Carnegie by John H. FinleyAlbert Einstein by Ernst StausJohn F. Kennedy by Mike Mansfield, Earl Warren, and John W. McCormackT. S. Eliot by Sir Rupert Hart-DavisMartin Luther King Jr. by Benjamin E. MaysW. H. Auden by Stephen SpenderAnais Nin by Henry MillerThe Challenger Astronauts by President Ronald ReaganMickey Mantle by Bob CostasCoretta Scott King by Maya AngelouNelson Mandela by President Barack Obama